1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of gaming, the field of casino table card gaming, the play of blackjack at a casino card table, and the use of equipment with processing capability in the play of casino table card games and especially blackjack or twenty-one and their variations.
2. Background of the Art
Cards are ordinarily provided to players in casino table card games either directly from a deck held in the dealer's hands or with cards removed by the dealer from a dealing shoe or dealing rack. The original dealing racks were little more than trays that supported the deck(s) of cards in a tray and allowed the dealer to individually remove the front card (with its back facing the table to hide the rank of the card) and deliver it to a player. Over the years, both stylistic and functional changes have been made to dealing shoes, which have been used for blackjack, poker, baccarat and other casino table card games.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,585,586; 6,582,302; and 6,293,864 (ROMERO) describe a gaming assembly to play a variation of the game baccarat, the gaming assembly including a computer processor assembly, a display assembly and at least one user actuatable selector assembly. The computer processor assembly is structured to generate a player's hand and a banker's hand in accordance with rules of baccarat, one of those hands being designated the user's hand. Further, the computer processor assembly is structured to determine a winning hand in accordance with the rules of baccarat, designating the user as a winner if the user's hand is also the winning hand. Additionally, the computer processor assembly is structured to monitor consecutive ones of the user's hands and to indicate a bonus payout to the user in the event that consecutive ones of the user's hands have a final number count equal to a natural nine.
The Romero patents also describe the use of computers to determine at least bonus results and to record continuing results. The specification specifically states:
“Additionally, in yet another embodiment of the present invention, an automated gaming assembly is provided so as to make the game of baccarat and preferably the above-recited variant, more accessible to the gaming public. To this end, the baccarat gaming assembly may include a computer processor assembly, a display assembly, and user actuatable selector assembly. In particular, the display assembly allows the user to readily see the progress of the game in a manner simulating a conventional game, while the actuatable selector assembly allows the user to make any necessary decisions.”
“Looking to the computer processor assembly, it is structured to generate a player's hand and a banker's hand in accordance with rules of baccarat. Moreover, the computer processor assembly is also preferably structured to permit the user to elect whether their user hand is the player's hand or the banker's hand. As a result, the user may play hunches and the like to decide which hand to play. Once the hands have been designated accordingly, the computer processor assembly is further structured to add cards to the player hand and the banker hand in accordance with the conventional rules of the card game baccarat, ultimately identifying one of the hands as a winning hand. Naturally, if the winning hand is the user hand, the user is designated a winner and a corresponding payout is made. So as to further enhance the playing experience, however, the computer processor assembly is further preferably structured to keep track of consecutive ones of the user's hands, and to indicate a bonus payout to be paid to the user if a predetermined number count of nine occurs in at least two consecutive ones of the user's hands.” Sensors are present above the table (not in a reading shoe) to determine the value of cards and hands.
“The camera assembly 32 and the display assembly 38 are electrically interconnected to one another as well as to an optical scanner 52 as schematically represented in FIG. 4. As set forth above, the optical scanner 52 is connected to both the camera assembly 32 and the display assembly 38 and is specifically structured and/or programmed, with the provision of a processor 54, to optically scan and/or electronically read the number count of at least one but preferably the total number count of the number of cards located in the card positioning section 26 of the specific player area 14 determined as being the banker. The electronic reading or optical scanning by the optical scanner 52 occurs by virtue of its connection to the one or more cameras of the cameras assembly 32 viewing the cards located at the card positioning section 26. Once the optical scanner 52 determines that the total number count of at least one or preferably two consecutive banker's hand is equal to a predetermined number count, the display portion 42 will begin to continuously register and display the number of consecutive hands. Once the consecutive number of hands is discontinued, the optical scanner will immediately determine such discontinuance, and the designated number 48 will revert back to zero or will go blank, as programmed, after indicating a plus payout is to be made.”
U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,959 (PFEIFFER) describes a card apparatus having a card hopper adapted to hold from one to at least 104 cards, a card carousel having slots for holding cards, an injector for sequentially loading cards from the hopper into the carousel, output ports, ejectors for delivering cards from the carousel to any one of the output ports, and a control board and sensors, all housed in a housing. The apparatus is also capable of communicating with selectors, which are adjustable for making card selections. The injector has three rollers driven by a motor via a worm gear. A spring-loaded lever keeps cards in the hopper pressed against the first roller. The ejectors are pivotally mounted to the base of the housing beneath the carousel and comprise a roller driven by a motor via gears and a centripetal clutch. A control board keeps track of the identity of cards in each slot, card selections, and the carousel position. Cards may be ordinary playing cards or other cards with bar codes added for card identification by the apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,743 (NICOLETTI) describes the use of a mechanical card dispensing means to advance cards at least part way out of the shoe. The described invention is for a dispenser for playing cards comprising:                a shoe adapted to contain a plurality of stacked playing cards, the playing cards including a leading card and a trailing card; the shoe including a back wall, first and second side walls, a front wall, a base, and an inclined floor extending from the back wall to proximate the front wall and adapted to support the playing cards; the floor being inclined downwardly from the back wall to the front wall; the front wall having an opening and otherwise being adapted to conceal the leading card; and the front wall, side walls, base and floor enclosing a slot positioned adjacent the floor, the slot being sized to permit a playing card to pass through the slot;        card advance means contacting the trailing card and adapted to urge the stacked cards down the inclined floor;        card dispensing means positioned proximate the front wall and adapted to dispense a single card at a time, the card dispensing means including leading card contact means adapted for rotation about an axis parallel to the leading card, whereby rotation of the leading card contact means displaces the leading card relative to the card stack and into a predetermined position extending out of the shoe from the slot; and        an endless belt located in the opening in the front wall for rotating the leading card contact means, the endless belt having an exterior surface securely engaging the leading card contact means and being adapted to be displaced by an operator.        
U.S. Pat. No. 5,681,039 (MILLER) describes a device for speeding the pace of a game of blackjack. The device is comprised of a housing having a top surface. A card reader for reading at least a portion of a playing card is located within the housing. An indicator cooperating with the card reader is provided to inform the dealer if his down card is of a desired value. There is also disclosed herein a method for increasing the speed of play in an organized game of blackjack. This device is little more than a table mounted “no peek” system enabling reading of single cards to determine if a blackjack occurs to a dealer during a game of Twenty-One. It indicates the presence of an ace or ten as the hole card in the dealers Blackjack hand.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,546 (MEISSNER) describes a method and apparatus to enable a game to be played based upon a plurality of cards. An automated dealing shoe dispenses each of the cards and recognizes each of the cards as each of the cards is dispensed. Player stations are also included. Each player station enables a player to enter a bet, request that a card be dispensed or not dispensed, and to convert each bet into a win or a loss based upon the cards, which are dispensed by the automated dealing shoe. This patent discloses card readers for the play of Blackjack.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,122 (ROBLEJO) relates to an apparatus for randomizing and verifying sets of playing cards. Also, the invention relates to a process of providing such an apparatus; feeding to the apparatus one or more cards either after they have been played in a game or from an unrandomized or unverified set of cards; and manually retrieving a verified true set of cards from the apparatus. Also, the invention relates to a process of playing in a casino setting or simulated casino setting, a card game comprising providing such an apparatus, feeding unverified sets of playing cards to the apparatus, and recovering verified true sets of cards from the apparatus.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,605,334; 6,093,103 and 6,117,012 (McCREA) disclose apparatus for use in a security system for card games. There is some disclosure relevant to smart delivery elements in shuffling equipment. There is a description, for example of a secure game table system for monitoring each hand in a progressive live card game, said progressive live card game having at least one deck, said at least one deck having a predetermined number of cards, said secure game table system having players at a plurality of player positions and a dealer at a dealer position, said secure game table system comprising:                a shoe for holding each card from said at least one deck before being dealt by said dealer in said hand, said shoe having a detector for reading at least the value and the suit of said each card, said detector issuing a signal corresponding at least to said value and suit for said each card,        a game bet sensor located near each of said plurality of player positions for sensing the presence of a game bet, when the presence of said game bet is sensed, said game bet sensor issuing a signal corresponding to said presence,        a progressive bet sensor located near each of said plurality of player positions for sensing the presence of a progressive bet, when said progressive bet is sensed, said progressive bet sensor issuing a signal corresponding to said presence,        a card sensor located near each of said plurality of player positions and said dealer position, said card sensor issuing a signal when a card in said hand is received at said card sensor,        a game control, said game control having a memory, said game control receptive of said game bet signals from said game bet sensor at each of said plurality of player positions for storing in memory which player positions have in place a game bet, said game control receptive of said value and suit signals from said detector in said shoe for storing in said memory at least the value and suit of each card dealt from said shoe in said hand, said game control receptive of said card received signals from said card sensor at each of said plurality of player positions and said dealer position for correlating in said memory each card dealt from said shoe in game sequence to each card received at a player position having a game bet sensed, said game control receptive of said progressive bet signals from said progressive bet sensor at each of said player positions for storing in said memory which player positions have in place a progressive bet.        
The patents disclose the use of the read card values for purposes such as “a card sensor located near each player position and the dealer position issues a signal for each card received. The game control receives these signals and correlates those player positions having placed a game and/or progressive bet with the received cards. The game control at each table has stored in memory the winning combinations necessary to win the progressive jackpots. Since the game control accurately stores the suit and value of each card received at a particular player position, the game control can automatically detect a winning progressive combination and issue an award signal for that player position.”
U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,632 (ALBRECHT) describes an apparatus and method for sorting cards into a predetermined sequence. One embodiment provides a deck holding area in which cards are held for presenting a card to a reading head for reading the characters on the face of the card. The apparatus also has a tray having a sequence of slots and a card moving mechanism for moving the presented card from the deck holding area into one of the slots. The tray is connected to a tray positioning mechanism for selectively positioning the tray to receive a card in one of the slots from the card moving mechanism. A controller is connected to the read head, the card moving mechanism, and the tray positioning mechanism. The controller controls the reading of each of the cards by the read head and identifies the value of each card read, and also controls the card moving mechanism to move each of the cards to a slot of the tray positioned by the tray positioning mechanism according to the predetermined sequence of values. The method for sorting includes the step of providing a tray having a sequence of slots, determining a predetermined sequence of values for the cards, and reading the face of a card to determine the value of the card. The method further includes moving the read card into one of the slots of the tray. The position of the slot into which the read card is moved corresponds to the position of the value in the predetermined sequence.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,648 (JOHNSON) describes a collation and/or sorting apparatus for groups of articles is exemplified by a sorting and/or shuffling device for playing cards. The apparatus comprises a sensor (15) to identify articles for collation and/or sorting, feeding means to feed cards from a stack (11) past the sensor (15) to a delivery means (14) adapted to deliver cards individually to a preselected one of a storing means (24) in an indexable magazine (20). A microprocessor (16) coupled to the feed means (14), delivery means (18), sensor (15) and magazine (20) determines according to a preprogrammed routine whether cards identified by sensor (15) are collated in the magazine (20) as an ordered deck of cards or a randomly ordered or “shuffled” deck.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,403,908 (STARDUST) describe an automated method and apparatus for sequencing and/or inspecting decks of playing cards is presented. The method and apparatus utilizes pattern recognition technology or other image comparison technology to compare one or more images of a card with memory containing known good images of a complete deck of playing cards to identify each card as it passes through the apparatus. Once the card is identified, it is temporarily stored in a location corresponding to or identified according to its position in a properly sequenced deck of playing cards. Once a full set of cards has been stored, the cards are released in proper sequence to a completed deck hopper. The method and apparatus also includes an operator interface capable of displaying a magnified version of potential defects or problem areas contained on a card which may then be viewed by the operator on a monitor or screen and either accepted or rejected via operator input. The present invention is also capable of providing an overall wear rating for each deck of playing cards. This Patent suggests identification of cards and storage of cards with the identity of the card recognized in a storage position. The cards are read and then stored in identified and recoverable positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,217,447 (LOFINK) describes a method and system for generating displays related to the play of Baccarat. Cards dealt to each of the Banker's and Player's hands are identified as by scanning and data signals are generated. The card identification data signals are processed to determine the outcome of the hand. Displays in various formats to be used by bettors are created from the processed identification signals including the cards of the hand played, historical records of outcomes and the like. The display can also show bettors expected outcomes and historical bests. Bettors can refer to the display in making betting decisions.
The cards are read between the shoe and the player positions, outside of the shoe. “Disposed between the shoe 22 and areas 24, 26 are means for identifying the cards dealt to the Player and Banker hands. These means are embodied as any suitable card scanner 32. Scanner 32 optically scans each card 10 as it is dealt from the shoe 22 and swiped across the scanner 32, face down. When the cards 10 include [sic, include] a bar code (not shown) on their face, which designates suit and denomination, the scanner 32 may be a laser scanner adapted to generate signals corresponding to the bar code. Preferably, to avoid the necessity of bar coding cards, the scanner 32 is of the type, which optically scans the card face and generates data signals corresponding to the optical characteristics of the face of the card. As but an example, digital camera means can be used to generate data signals, broken in picture elements, i.e. pixels, the signal strength at the locations of the individual pixels collectively corresponding to the actual appearance of the face.”
U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,819 (GARCZYNSKI) describes a “no peek” module for announcing when a Dealer has blackjack without exposing the face of the Dealer's down card. The module scans a character from the Dealer's facedown-standard playing card, compares the result of the scan with a set of references, and identifies the down card. The module also receives input from the Dealer as to the identity of the Dealer's up card, and announces whether the Dealer has blackjack or the hand continues. The module is designed to be mounted to a blackjack table such that the surface of the module on which the standard playing card rests while being scanned is in the plane of the surface of the blackjack table, allowing the Dealer to slide the down-card across the table and onto the scanner without lifting, and potentially exposing, the card's face. The module also removes the noise generated by a casino's heat, dust, cigarette and cigar ashes, and lint from the felt of the blackjack table, during the scanning process. The module further optimizes the scan of the character on the standard playing card by controlling the light intensity emitted by the components of the module used to illuminate the character.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,505 (GARCZYNSKI) describes a dual card scanning module announces when the symbols of a face-up standard playing card and a face-down standard playing card achieve a desired combination (a blackjack). The module has a scanner system that illuminates and scans at least a portion of a symbol of the face-up standard playing card and at least a portion of a symbol of the face-down standard playing card and stores the results thereof in a first and second array device, respectively. The module also has a guide to assist in receiving and positioning the cards such that the face-up standard playing card is above and aligned with the facedown-standard playing card. When in this position, the symbol portions of the face-up and the facedown-standard playing cards can be scanned by the array devices to generate respective scanning results. The module compares the scanning results with a memory storing a plurality of references representing respective symbols of the standard playing cards to determine if the cards have achieved the desired combination.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,582,301; 6,039,650; and 5,722,893 (HILL) describes a shoe with a card scanner, which scans indicia on a playing card as the card moves along and out of a chute by manual direction by the dealer in the normal fashion. The scanner can be one of several different types of devices, which will sense each card as it is moved downwardly and out of the shoe. A feed forward neural-network is trained, using error back-propagation to recognize all possible card suits and card values sensed by the scanner. Such a neural-network becomes a part of a scanning system which provides a proper reading of the cards to determine the progress of the play of the game including how the game might suffer if the game players are allowed to count cards using a card count system and perform other acts which would limit the profit margin of the casino. The shoe of the present invention is also provided with additional devices, which make it simple and easy to record data relevant to the play of the game. For instance, the shoe has means for accommodating a “customer-tracking-card” or preferred customer card which reads the personal information of a card holder from a magnetic stripe on the card and this information travels with the preferred customer from game to game, throughout a casino, which the customer likes to play. An LCD display can also be part of the shoe and this display can be used to enter and retrieve vital player information as deemed necessary or desirable to the customer file opened when the magnetic stripe reader reads the preferred customer card with the customer name and account number embedded within the cards magnetic stripe. Scanned information is fed to a computer for extensive analysis.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,166 (LORSON) describes a system for monitoring play of a card game between a dealer and one or more players at a playing table, comprising: (a) a card-dispensing shoe comprising one or more active card-recognition sensors positioned to generate signals corresponding to transitions between substantially light background and dark pip areas as standard playing cards are dispensed from the card-dispensing shoe, without generating a bit-mapped image of each dispensed standard playing card; and (b) a signal processing subsystem. The subsystem may be adapted to: receive the transition signals generated by the active card-recognition sensors; determine, in real time and based on the transition signals, playing-card values for the dispensed standard playing cards; and determine, in real time, a current table statistical advantage/disadvantage relative to the players for playing cards remaining in the card-dispensing shoe. The system gathers information on the distribution of cards in the discard shoe from knowledge of the sequence of cards dealt during game play. When signaled, the system determines appropriate sequence, number, and positions of the pre-shuffle plug locations of the cards in the discard shoe. The system transmits the pre-shuffle card plug information to an output device driver assembly, which actuates the desired output devices. In one implementation, the system output devices are light-emitting diodes, but any number of electric, acoustic, or mechanical devices could be utilized. The dealer plugs the card segments as directed by the system output devices and signals completion by operating the control switch discussed above. The process is repeated until the card segments are properly positioned and then the system transmits an output signal to direct the dealer to shuffle the cards. This pre-shuffle mixing technique significantly reduces the post-shuffle statistical deck variations and improves current pre-shuffle mixing practices which are performed arbitrarily by the dealer and do not ensure adequate and consistent distribution of the card values following the shuffle. During play, the system monitors the cards received by the dealer and actuates an output device any time the dealer's first two cards consist of an ace and any ten-valued card. When the first card received by the dealer is an ace, the passive table mounted sensor delays actuation of the output device until all players have had the opportunity to place an optional blackjack game wager commonly referred to as insurance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,769 (ORDER) describes a device for professional use in table games of chance with playing cards and gaming chips (jettons), in particular the game of “Black Jack”. An automatically working apparatus is provided which will register and evaluate all phases of the run of the game automatically. This is achieved by a card shoe with an integrated device for recognition of the value of the drawn cards (3′) (optical recognition device and mirroring into a CCD-image converter); photodiodes (52) arranged under the table cloth (51) in order to register separately the casino light passing through each area (53, 54) for placing the gaming chips (41) and areas (55, 56) for placing the playing cards (3) in dependence of the arrangement or movement of the jettons and playing cards on the mentioned areas; a device for automatic recognition of each bet (scanner to register the color of the jettons, or a RFID-system comprising a S/R station and jettons with integrated transponder); an EDP program created in accordance with the gaming rules to evaluate and store all data transmitted from the functional devices to the computer; and a monitor to display the run of the game and players' wins.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,536 (HILL)—Smart Shoes, Inc. describes an optical scanner coupled to the CPU that reads the value of each card dealt to each player's hand(s) and the dealer's hand as each card is dealt to a specific hand, seat or position and converts the game card value of each card dealt from the shoe to the players and the dealer of the game to a card count system value for one or more card count systems programmed into the evaluation software. The CPU also records each player's decision(s) to hit a hand, and the dealer's decision to hit or take another card when required by the rules of the game, as the hit card is removed from the shoe. The dealer uses one or more of the keyboards and LCD displays carried by the shoe to record each player's decisions(s) to Insure, Surrender, Stand, Double Down, or Split a hand. When the dealer has an Ace or a Ten as an up-card, he/she may use one or more of the keyboards to prompt the computer system's software, since the dealer's second card, or hole-card, which is dealt face down, has been scanned and the game card value thereof has been imported into the computer systems software, to instantly inform the dealer, by means of one or more of the shoes LCDs, if his/her game cards, or hand total, constitutes a two-card “21” or “Blackjack”. The accuracy of the data input to the evaluation software program by this means cannot be duplicated using any type of prior art or VCR recording of a twenty-one game previously played and recorded, or currently in progress.”
U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,848 (SOLTYS)—MindPlay LLC U.S. patent describes a system is described that automatically monitors playing and wagering of a game, including the gaming habits of players and the performance of employees. A card deck reader automatically reads a symbol from each card in a deck of cards before a first one of the cards is removed. The symbol identifies a respective rank and suit of the card. A chip tray reader automatically images the contents of a chip tray, to periodically determine the number and value of chips in the chip tray, and to compare the change in contents of the chip tray to the outcome of game play for verifying that the proper amounts have been paid out and collected. A table monitor automatically images the activity occurring at a gaming table. Periodic comparison of the images identifies wagering, as well as the appearance, removal and position of cards and other game objects on the gaming table. A drop box automatically verifies an amount and authenticity of a deposit and reconciles the deposit with a change in the contents of the chip tray. The drop box employs a variety of lighting and resolutions to image selected portions of the deposited item. The system detects prohibited playing and wagering patterns, and determines the win/loss percentage of the players and the dealer, as well as a number of other statistically relevant measures. The measurements provide automated security and real-time accounting. The measurements also provide a basis for automatically allocating complimentary player benefits. There are numerous other MindPlay LLC, including at this time U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,712,696; 6,688,979; 6,685,568; 6,663,490; 6,652,379; 6,638,161; 6,595,857; 6,579,181; 6,579,180; 6,533,662; 6,533,276; 6,530,837; 6,530,836; 6,527,271; 6,520,857; 6,517,436; and 6,517,435.
WO 00/51076 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,629,894 (DOLPHIN ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES PTY. LTD.) disclose a card inspection device that includes a first loading area adapted to receive one or more decks of playing cards. A drive roller is located adjacent the loading area and positioned to impinge on a card if a card were present in the loading area. The loading area has an exit through which cards are urged, one at a time, by a feed roller. A transport path extends from the loading area exit to a card accumulation area. The transport path is further defined by two pairs of transport rollers, one roller of each pair above the transport path and one roller of each pair below the transport path. A camera is located between the two pairs of transport rollers, and a processor governs the operation of a digital camera and the rollers. A printer produces a record of the device's operation based on an output of the processor, and a portion of the transport path is illuminated by one or more blue LEDs.
Each of the references identified in the Background of the Art and the remainder of the specification, including the Related Application Data are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety as part of the enabling disclosure for such elements as apparatus, methods, hardware and software.